Bowman’s Travel Brief: The Destination Wedding

Wedding season is here. Are your travel plans set to enjoy the destination as well as the wedding?

When you think about it, all weddings are destination weddings.

Whether it’s set in the Caribbean or a short drive near the bride and groom’s home, travel is always involved when it comes to a wedding.

That, and family, is what I love most about weddings (besides the food of course).

So far this year I’ve been to three weddings, all for family. One was in Michigan, one in Louisville and the other in my home state of Georgia. This fall I’ll attend the fourth, and you guessed it, another family wedding.

A few years ago, we attended eight weddings in one calendar year, which included some fun destinations we hadn’t experienced before.

Given the chance, we head into these new towns a day or two early to fully enjoy our travels to the max.

A “destination wedding” doesn’t have to always be at the beach or in some tropical oasis where all your guests need a passport and week-long vacation attached to it.

There is, of course, nothing wrong with doing that, but it’s all in how you do it.

Choosing the right resort that not only meets your needs as the bride and groom but also perfectly accommodates your guests is no easy task. Sure, the majority have a nice beach, but the style of rooms, the places to eat and so much more need to be considered for those types of destination weddings.

This is where a trusted travel agent comes in handy. You’re not going to know the ins and outs of these massive all-inclusive resorts that cater so well to tropical weddings, but an agent will.

And even if the wedding you’re invited to isn’t in an international destination but still a different town than yours, having that travel agent to help book your stay and plan things to do in the area is the way to go.

Brittany Wahhab is Travel and Marketing Consultant at Elm Grove Travel located in the greater Milwaukee area. She can be reached at brittany@elmgrovetravel.com

When asked what advice she would give to travelers considering a destination wedding, Wahhab said:

“The first important element to narrow down is the budget you have for the wedding and the price range you would like to stay around for the hotel for your guests. As a Destination Wedding Travel Specialist, I help couples start with the budget and from there I can make the best recommendations on the right destination and hotel to accommodate their needs and preferences. The number of guests the couple anticipates to attend and the type of event they envision impact which destination and hotel will be the best fit, for stateside or an international affair.”

When asked what advice she would give travel agents looking to sell more destination weddings, Wahhab said:

“I highly recommend seeking out training like the Romance Travel Forum I attended just last week in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico hosted by the Travel Marketing Group. This will give agents the opportunity to meet suppliers from around the world and learn about what type of event management they offer for weddings, and also to mingle with the most successful agents in the U.S. and Canada for a few days. The travel industry, particularly in this sector, is a small world - building relationships is key to growing your business.”

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